Template:Infobox musical artist/doc

{{Infobox musical artist}} is the standard infobox for musician articles, and is within the purview of WikiProject Musicians.

This template may also be used as a module (or sub-template) of {{Infobox person}}; see Wikipedia:Infobox modules for guidance on such usage.

See also Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians/Infobox for more information.

Usage

One of the following two alternatives (one for individuals, one for groups) should be placed in an article at the top of the page, before the introduction.

For articles about individuals

For dancers, use {{Infobox dancer}} instead.

{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = 
| image               = 
| image_size          = 
| landscape           = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt                 = 
| caption             = 
| background          = **Mandatory** Use one: solo_singer, non_vocal_instrumentalist, non_performing_personnel, or temporary
| birth_name          = 
| native_name         = 
| native_name_lang    = 
| alias               = 
| birth_date          = <!-- {{birth date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} for living people supply only the year unless the exact date is already WIDELY published, as per [[WP:DOB]] -->
| birth_place         = 
| origin              = 
| death_date          = <!-- {{death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date 1st) -->
| death_place         = 
| genre               = 
| occupation          = 
| instrument          = 
| years_active        = <!-- YYYY–YYYY (or –present) -->
| label               = 
| associated_acts     = 
| website             = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| notable_instruments = 
}}

For articles about musical groups

Some types of musical groups have their own dedicated infobox, which should be used instead: {{Infobox choir}}, {{Infobox orchestra}}, {{Infobox college marching band}}, {{Infobox school marching band}}

{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = 
| image           = 
| image_size      = 
| landscape       = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank -->
| alt             = 
| caption         = 
| background      = **Mandatory** Use one: group_or_band, classical_ensemble, or temporary
| alias           = 
| origin          = 
| genre           = 
| years_active    = <!-- {{start date|YYYY}}–{{end date|YYYY}} (or –present) -->
| label           = 
| associated_acts = 
| website         = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| current_members = 
| past_members    = 
}}

Parameters

• Most fields are optional and the row will simply be omitted if no data is supplied.
• See WikiProject Musicians for more information about this template.

honorific_prefix

Titles such as "Sir". e.g. Sir Paul McCartney

name

The name of the group or artist ("the act") in plain text only. Logos and other graphics are to be avoided in this field in accordance with WP:ACCESS, WP:FAIR, and in particular WP:LOGO. This field is mandatory.

honorific_suffix

Honours such as "CBE", "OBE" e.g. Cilla Black OBE

image

An image of the act, sufficiently clear for display at 220 pixels' width. Set to only the image name, e.g. Example.png, not Image:Example.png or [[File:Example.png|200px|abc]].

image_size

The image size should only be specified if the image is smaller than 220 pixels width. Enter the width in pixels without "px", for example 150. Size for landscape images should be 250.

landscape

Set to yes when using wide, short images. The image height (rather than width) will be limited to 200 pixels.

alt

Alt text for the image, for visually impaired and other readers who cannot see the image. See WP:ALT.

caption

Caption for the image to be displayed.

background

The musical artist should be placed into one of seven categories by using one of the codes below in the background field. Each category is color-coded to provide a quick indication of the type of group/performer, e.g. solo artist, orchestra, etc. The color scheme is similar to the one used by WikiProject Albums and other projects. Please discuss additional types that need to be accounted for on the template's talk page. This field is mandatory.

Code	Display
solo_singer	Background information
non_vocal_instrumentalist	Background information
non_performing_personnel	Background information
group_or_band	Background information
classical_ensemble	Background information
temporary	Background information

solo_singer

Singular vocal performers (including lead and background singers, singer-songwriters, and singer-instrumentalists). This categorization is for any article about a singer, whether they perform solo, with a group or band, or both.

non_vocal_instrumentalist

Non-vocal instrumentalists.

non_performing_personnel

Composers, producers, songwriters, arrangers, DJs, engineers, and other non-performing personnel.

group_or_band

Groups, bands, crews, or other non-classical music ensembles. This categorization is for articles on group acts only; members of groups should be labeled with one of the codes above.

classical_ensemble

Orchestras and other classical music ensembles.

temporary

Temporary collaborative projects.

Other values (e.g. "jazz trumpeter") must not be used.

Pages with invalid value in |background= can be found in Category:Infobox musical artist with missing or invalid Background field.

birth_name

This field is only relevant for individuals. The person's name at birth

native_name

This field is only relevant for individuals. The artist's name in their own language

native_name_lang

This field is only relevant for individuals. ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fre" or "fra" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} for |native_name= instead

alias

For listing official stage names for the act or solo artist other than the name in the |name= parameter. Also for the solo artist's legal name(s), or other officially authorized names that differ from their birth name. This field is not for nicknames such as "The Godfather of Soul" (James Brown) or "Nippy" (Whitney Houston), which are not the artists' official names.

birth_date

This field is only relevant for individuals. The artist's date of birth; it is preferable to use {{Birth date and age}} (for example {{Birth date and age|1949|12|31}}) to display current age. If the artist's age is verified, but the date is not known, then use {{Birth based on age as of date}} (for example {{Birth based on age as of date|63|2012|08|30}}). For dead people, use {{Birth date}} (for example {{Birth date|1949|12|31}}). Also list the place of birth using the birth_place parameter (below).

{{Birth date and age|Year|Month|Day}}

baptised

This field is only relevant for individuals. The artist's date of baptism used only when the exact date of birth is not known. Do not use sub-templates.

birth_place

This field is only relevant for individuals. The artist's place of birth. Do not add a flag icon. (see field "origin" below).

[[City]], State/Province, Country

origin

The town, city etc., from which the group or musician originated (that is, the place where the group was founded, or where individual performer started their career, should it not match the location of their birth). If the place is not known, specify at least the country. Do not add a flag icon. Omit the country if it does not differ from that specified at the field "birth_place".

[[City]], State/Province, Country

death_date

This field is only relevant for individuals. The artist's date of death (same format as birth_date; but use {{Death date and age}}).

death_place

This field is only relevant for individuals. The artist's place of death (same format as birth_place). Do not add a flag icon. Omit the country if it does not differ from that specified at the field "birth_place".

genre

The genre or genres of music performed by the act. Aim for generality (e.g. [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] rather than [[East Coast hip hop]]) and preferably use 2-4. Genres should be separated by using commas or {{flatlist}}. Genres should be wikilinked. Use piped links where needed, for example: [[Pop music|Pop]], [[Rock music|rock]]. Note: most genres are not proper nouns and should not be capitalized. However, the first word in a list of multiple genres should be capitalized. Genres that are sourced in the article itself do not require a source in the infobox, but sometimes it can be useful to have the source listed again anyway, to help prevent edit warring.

occupation

This field is only relevant for individuals. Roles the artist has fulfilled (e.g. musician, songwriter, producer). For artists who have participated in forms of entertainment outside of music (such as acting), these occupations can be included if notable. Please observe sentence case and capitalise only the first letter of the first item (e.g. Musician, actor, singer-songwriter).

instrument

This field is only relevant for individuals. General class(es) of instrument(s) played by the artist, e.g. guitar or violin. Include singing, rapping, beatboxing and/or scat singing if relevant. Separate multiple entries by using commas or {{flatlist}}. Instruments listed in the infobox should be limited to only those that the artist is primarily known for using. The instruments infobox parameter is not intended as a WP:COATRACK for every instrument the subject has ever used.

years_active

Period(s) during which the act was or has been active. Only calendar year ranges or a single calendar year should be listed; for example, do not distinguish between the period Paul McCartney was in the Beatles and his solo career. Use commas or {{flatlist}} to separate non-consecutive periods, and denote ranges with an unspaced en dash (e.g. 1993–2004, 2005–present). See WP:DATE#Longer periods and WP:MOS#En dashes. For groups only use {{Start date}}.

label

The record label or labels to which the act has been signed, as a comma- or {{flatlist}}-separated list. Omit parenthetical dates; save that information for the main article as this degree of detail is better discussed in prose. Drop the word "Records" from the end of any label's name (e.g. use [[Universal Records|Universal]] rather than [[Universal Records]].) Separate multiple entries by using commas or {{flatlist}}. Start with the oldest first.

associated_acts

This field is for professional relationships with other musicians or bands that are significant and notable to this artist's career.

This field can include, for example, any of the following:

• For individuals: groups of which he or she has been a member
• Other acts with which this act has collaborated on multiple occasions, or on an album, or toured with as a single collaboration act playing together
• Groups which have spun off from this group
• A group from which this group has spun off

Separate multiple entries by using commas or {{flatlist}}.

The following uses of this field should be avoided:

• Association of groups with members' solo careers
• Groups with only one member in common
• Association of producers, managers, etc. (who are themselves acts) with other acts (unless the act essentially belongs to the producer, as in the case of a studio orchestra formed by and working exclusively with a producer)
• One-time collaboration for a single, or on a single song
• Groups that are merely similar

website

The single web address for the act's primary official website. Use {{URL}} as {{URL|example.com}}.

current_members

This field is only relevant for active groups. Current members of the group, listed in order of joining with no other notation than names. For multiple members joining concurrently (such as the formation of the band), list them according to alphabetical order. Separate multiple entries using * list markup. For example,

| current_members =
* Member 1
* Member 2
* Member 3

past_members

This field is only relevant for groups. Past members of the group, listed in order of joining with no other notation than names. If a group is inactive, all members should be listed here, and none in the "current_members" field. If membership of the group has varied over time, it should not be noted here, but may be discussed in the article body. Separate multiple entries using * list markup. For example,

| past_members =
* Member 1
* Member 2
* Member 3

notable_instruments

This field is only relevant for individuals. Particularly noteworthy models or custom musical instruments with which the artist is strongly associated (e.g. Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Flying V guitars or Tori Amos's Bösendorfer piano). Separate multiple entries by using commas or {{flatlist}}.

Examples

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey performing in 1998 Background information Birth name Mariah Carey Born (1970-03-27) March 27, 1970 Huntington, New York Origin New York City Genres Pop R&B dance-pop Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, record producer Years active 1990–present Labels Columbia Virgin MonarC/Island Website mariahcarey.com

Audioslave From left to right: Tim Commerford, Chris Cornell, Brad Wilk and Tom Morello, performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival, 2005 Background information Origin Los Angeles, California Genres Hard rock alternative rock post-grunge Years active 2001 (2001)–2007 Labels Epic, Interscope Past members Chris Cornell Tom Morello Tim Commerford Brad Wilk Website www.audioslave.com

For individual musicians

The following template code produced the infobox above.

{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Mariah Carey
| image           = Mariah Carey13 Edwards Dec 1998.jpg
| alt             = Young woman singing into a hand mike with her eyes closed and a big smile
| caption         = Mariah Carey performing in 1998
| background      = solo_singer
| birth_name      = Mariah Carey
| birth_date      = {{Birth date and age|1970|3|27}}
| birth_place     = [[Huntington, New York]]
| origin          = New York City
| genre           = {{flatlist|
* [[pop music|Pop]]
* [[contemporary R&B|R&B]]
* [[dance-pop]]
}}
| associated_acts = 
| occupation      = Singer-songwriter, record producer
| years_active    = 1990–present
| label           = {{Flatlist|
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
* [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
* [[MonarC]]/[[Island Records|Island]]
}}
| website         = {{URL|mariahcarey.com}}
}}

For groups or bands

The following template code produced the infobox above.

{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Audioslave
| image           = Audioslave_2005.jpg
| image_size      = 250
| landscape       = yes
| alt             = Four-man rock group performing on stage, spotlit, with row of darkened fans in the foreground
| caption         = From left to right: [[Tim Commerford]], [[Chris Cornell]], [[Brad Wilk]] and [[Tom Morello]], performing at the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]], 2005.
| background      = group_or_band
| origin          = Los Angeles, California
| genre           = {{Flatlist|
* [[Hard rock]]
* [[alternative rock]]
* [[post-grunge]]
}}
| years_active    = {{Start date|2001}}–2007
| label           = [[Epic Records|Epic]], [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]
| associated_acts = {{Flatlist|
* [[Soundgarden]]
* [[Rage Against the Machine]]
* [[Temple of the Dog]]
* [[The Nightwatchman]]
}}
| website         = {{URL|www.audioslave.com}}
| current_members = 
| past_members    = 
* [[Chris Cornell]]
* [[Tom Morello]]
* [[Tim Commerford]]
* [[Brad Wilk]]
}}

Examples of the template in use can be found at:

• Elvis Presley
• Madonna
• Sly and the Family Stone

Microformat

The HTML markup produced by this template includes an hCard microformat, which makes the person's details parsable by computers, either acting automatically to catalogue articles across Wikipedia or via a browser tool operated by a reader, to (for example) add the subject to an address book or database. For more information about the use of microformats on Wikipedia, please see the microformat project.

Sub-templates

Date-of-birth ("bday") information will only be included in the microformat if {{birth date}}, or {{birth date and age}} are used in the infobox. (Do not use these if the date is before 1583). Be cautious about using these if the person is still living, per WP:DOB.

To include a URL, use {{URL}}.

Please do not remove instances of these sub-templates.

Classes

hCard uses HTML classes including:

• adr
• agent
• bday
• birthplace
• category
• country-name
• deathdate
• deathplace
• extended-address
• family-name
• fn (required)
• given-name
• honorific-prefix
• honorific-suffix
• label
• locality
• n
• nickname
• note
• org
• role
• url
• vcard

Please do not rename or remove these classes nor collapse nested elements which use them.

The determination between class="fn" (for individuals) and class="fn org" (for groups) and is made by {{Infobox musical artist/hCard class}}.

TemplateData

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:Infobox musical artist in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for Infobox musical artist

An infobox for musical artists/groups.

Template parameters

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Honorific prefix	honorific_prefix	titles such as Sir.	String	optional
Name	name Name	Name of group/artist, plain text only. Default The page name	String	optional
Honorific suffix	honorific_suffix	Honours such as CBE, OBE.	String	optional
Background	background Background	Must be specified, sets to color used. Must be one of 'solo_singer', 'non_vocal_instrumentalist', 'non_performing_personnel', 'group_or_band', 'classical_ensemble', or 'temporary' (for temporary collaborative projects).	String	required
Image	image Img	Image to use in infobox Set to only the image name e.g. 'ABBA - TopPop 1974 5.png'.	String	optional
Landscape	landscape Landscape	Set to yes when using wide, short images.	String	optional
Image size	image_size Img_size	Should only be specified if the image is smaller than 220 pixels width. Enter the width in pixels without 'px', for example '150'. Size for landscape images should be 250.	String	optional
Image alt text	alt Img_alt	Alt text for the image, for visually impaired and other readers who cannot see the image.	String	optional
Image caption	caption Img_capt	Caption for the image.	String	optional
Native name	native_name	The artist's name in their own language.	String	optional
Native name (language)	native_name_lang	ISO 639-2 code e.g. 'fr' or 'fra' for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} for native_name instead	String	optional
Birth name	birth_name Birth_name	The person's name at birth.	String	optional
Alias	alias Alias	Official stage names, legal names, or other officially authorized names. Not for nicknames.	String	optional
Birth date	birth_date	The artist's date of birth; it is preferable to use {{Birth date and age}} e.g. '{{Birth date and age|1949|12|31}}'.	String	optional
Baptism	baptism	The artist's date of baptism; Use only when the date of birth is not known.	String	optional
Birth place	birth_place	The artist's place of birth. e.g. '[[Lubbock, Texas]], U.S.'.	String	optional
Origin	origin Origin	The city from which the singer or group originated. e.g. '[[Aston]], [[Birmingham]], England'	String	optional
Death date	death_date	The artist's date of death use {{Death date and age}}	String	optional
Death place	death_place	Place of death.	String	optional
Genre	genre Genre	The genre or genres of music performed by the act. Genres should be wikilinked and separated by using commas or {{tl|flatlist}}.	String	optional
Occupation	occupation Occupation	Roles the artist has fulfilled (e.g. musician, songwriter, producer, etc). For artists who have participated in forms of entertainment outside of music (such as acting), these occupations can be included if notable.	String	optional
Instrument	instrument Instrument	General classes of instruments played by the artist, e.g. guitar or violin. Include singing, rapping, beatboxing and/or scat singing if relevant. Separate multiple entries by using commas or {{tl|flatlist}}. Instruments listed in the infobox should be limited to only those that the artist is primarily known for using.	String	optional
Years active	years_active Years_active yearsactive	Years artist/group was active e.g. '1993–2004, 2005–present'.	String	optional
Record label	label Label	The record label or labels to which the act has been signed, as a comma- or {{tl|flatlist}}-separated list. Omit dates. e.g. '[[Universal Records|Universal]]'.	String	optional
Associated acts	associated_acts Associated_acts	Professional relationships with other musicians or bands that are significant and notable to this artist's career.	String	optional
Website	website URL url	The single web address for the act's primary official website. e.g. '{{url|blacksabbath.com}}'.	String	optional
Current members	current_members Current_members	Name of current members of the group, listed in order of joining. Separate multiple entries using * list markup, one per line.	String	optional
Past members	past_members Past_members	Past members of the group, listed in order of joining. Separate multiple entries using * list markup, one per line. If a group is inactive, all members should be listed here, and none in the 'current_members' field.	String	optional
Notable instruments	notable_instruments Notable_instruments	Particularly noteworthy models or custom musical instruments with which the artist is strongly associated. e.g. Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Flying V.	String	optional
Embedded	embed	Set to 'yes' if embedded in another infobox template.	String	optional
Pronunciation	pronunciation	no description	String	deprecated